World Cup 2026: England v Mexico – Five and a half hours that left tie in chaos
Senior research fellow at Leeds Beckett University, Dr. Barney Wainwright told BBC Sport earlier this week how altitude can affect athletes.
“At that kind of altitude, maximum aerobic capacity usually drops by around 10%,” Wainwright said. “And that has an impact on performance.”
So, would it make a difference if we set out at 12:00 local time instead of 18:00?
“If the weather is warmer, heat can have a double whammy with altitude,” Wainwright explained.
“Less oxygen in the air means there is less oxygen in the blood. This affects your ability to produce energy for muscles and your exercise capacity.
“It also takes away from the brain. The brain is important to us because we need oxygen in the brain for decision-making, visual processing and those kinds of things that are important in football.”
Wainwright added that the forecast might be 21 degrees, but you can add a few more degrees to account for fans and field-level temperature.
However, this may not be significant enough to make a real difference to players.
“That makes it a little bit more difficult,” Wainwright said. “But overall from an altitude standpoint it’s not going to make any real difference to them.”
However, the earlier kick-off may have affected the players’ rest patterns.
The altitude could affect sleep patterns, and an early start meant there was no chance of catching up.
However, Wainwright added that the possibility of thunderstorms stopping in the evening could be advantageous for the UK and give them a break from the effects of altitude.
